Recipes / Food - Drink

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I took some boneless chicken legs and coated them (both sides) with a thick paste made of the following;

Thai Red curry
chopped Coriander
chopped lemon grass
chopped hot red peppers
crushed garlic
crushed ginger
lime juice
Thai sweet chili sauce

I folded them in half and skewered them, then left them to marinate in the fridge for several hours. Then I baked them for about 45 minutes on a rack so the heat would reach all sides and crisp up the skin.

Goooood stuff... Happy mouths!

Served up with rice and cold Chang beer.


Stitchawl

That sounds delectable. I have all of the ingredients except the chicken.

We can BBQ all year round here so I will probably cook the skewers over high heat to get some crispy golden edges.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

That sounds delectable. I have all of the ingredients except the chicken.

We can BBQ all year round here so I will probably cook the skewers over high heat to get some crispy golden edges.

Adding a BBQ flavor would be great. I didn't include the amounts in my post as some folks like to fiddle, but just in case you don't;

2T Thai Red curry
1/ cup chopped Coriander
1/4 cup chopped lemon grass -bruise it after chopping
2-4 chopped small hot red or green peppers
2T crushed garlic
2T crushed ginger
1/4 cup lime juice
3T Thai sweet chili sauce

After grilling, pour on some more Thai sweet chili sauce just before serving.

This makes just enough for three large boneless thigh/leg pieces, put on fairly thickly. You could stretch it out to four pieces if needed.


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

We made an interesting dinner this evening...

It began by cooking some chopped pancetta to render out the oil, then removing it from the pan.

We took boneless and skinless chicken breasts, sprinkled them with chopped fresh rosamary, covered that with a layer of grated Parmesan cheese and then a couple of slices of prosciutto ham. This got cooked slowly in the oil left behind by the cooked pancetta, first on the bare side for 10 minutes (covered) to melt the cheese and set the ham, then flipped over onto the ham side for five minutes to cook that as well.

They were then removed to a plate while we made a vegetable side dish in the same pan. Broccoli florets and some chopped scallion, steamed in some butter and red wine vinegar that I added to the pan, and flavored with the oil left in the pan from the pancetta, and prosciutto. When the broccoli turned bright green we added the cooked pancetta back into the pan, stirred everything up and put it on plates with the chicken.

One dirty pan, two dirty plates, and two very happy mouths!


Stitchawl

[beppe]

Hey. That's a neat dinner. Nice fusion (the red vinegar with the pancetta and the vegetables has a French touch: they do it with raw spinach and raw champignons). As an Italian I would easily recognize it as my own.

It is also very intelligent, nutrition wise. No starch and just the fat of the pancetta, that one can use all or just a bit of what is left. Compliments.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by beppe

Hey. That's a neat dinner. Nice fusion (the red vinegar with the pancetta and the vegetables has a French touch: they do it with raw spinach and raw champignons). As an Italian I would easily recognize it as my own.

It is also very intelligent, nutrition wise. No starch and just the fat of the pancetta, that one can use all or just a bit of what is left. Compliments.

Thanks! I like the crispness of the prosciutto with the flavor of the Parmesan cheese. Even with a heavy layer of cheese, it somehow disappears and just gives a hint of flavor to the dish. It's diffiuclt to get German smoked bacon here, but the pancetta works just as well and for some reason can be found in most supermarkets!


Stitchawl

[beppe]

Sunday lunch. Nice day, sunshine, put up the lights on the tree (a week late). Coldish. Everybody had a decent breakfast. Tatatata. Veal roast for lunch. A nice piece of carrè of about 1 and 1/4 kg (surprised by the system eh? I could have said 3/16). Defrosted easy by my 6th sense MW. Set up at 230°C for 20 minutes than at 175°C till it reached 70°C. It took about 2h and 15 minutes. Yes, this time I cooked with the thermometer. It must be my tea inclination.

I peeled 3 nice carrots and 3 nice beets. Sliced the beets (1 inch thick slices). I took out the roast, there was some juice, I made a layer of beet slices and put the carrots so that they kept the meat suspended. Put it back with the thermometer.

No seasoning, nothing, not even salt, just some drops of olive oil to keep it soft on the surface.

For the girls a round of MW French Fries. The aperò was fois gras on toast and palm hearts. Prosecco. Perrier for me.

Got the best compliment there is from Wife. This we could serve it to guests. She is thinking of the coming festivities. I enjoyed the second plural. I buy it, I cook it, I slice it and dress the plates and she might serve it. With A South Tyrol dirndle. A Black Alpine, white skin, dark hair and brown or green eyes, sometimes freckles (hers are very luminous brown and indeed she sports some freckles). More or less like the 4th from the left, although in body build and stance she is more like the 3rd from the left. Girls, joy and delight. Damnation also if one is not careful. The beets were very good, the carrots ok, I shared them. Not the beets: i am the one and only that likes them. That is just fine for me. I just would like that they do the same with chocolate. A dark and a blondie make one man luck. (that's the original saying: una bionda ed una bruna fan dell'uomo la fortuna).

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by beppe

. A dark and a blondie make one man luck. (that's the original saying: una bionda ed una bruna fan dell'uomo la fortuna).

Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon, fait bon, fait bon,
Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon dormir.



Stitchawl

[beppe]

The one that made me stop smoking looks a bit like the first on the left. Mine has a better posture though. I stopped smoking and she laughs in my face, the blonde. At least I stopped.

[GeoffC]

stopped?

laughing, or smoking ....

[beppe]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

stopped?

laughing, or smoking ....

I stopped smoking because a blonde angelic creature told me that she did not want to kiss an ashtray. When i told her that i stopped smoking she started to laugh in my face and does it every time we meet. Do you understand blondes?, can you give an helpful hint? Nah, I think you just laugh at me, like she does. But beware, I do not intend to kiss you. Whatever you do or promise.

With the blonde, it is just my fault. I put my self in a spot. With blondes is quite common. The easiest way out was to give up smoking.

[Stitchawl]

All the talking about kimchee the other day got me thinking about Korean Spiced Noodles... Great lunch dish!

SPICY COLD NOODLES WITH SESAME SEED PASTE
yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 lb. fresh egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 cup mung bean sprouts
broccoli florets, cut quite small

SAUCE:
3 tablespoons sesame seed paste (I like to use 1/2 chunky peanut butter!)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon brewed tea (strong and black)
1/2 tablespoon Chinese red vinegar
1/2 tablespoon chili oil (more if you like 'hot!')
1/2 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
2-3 cloves garlic
2 scallions (white and green parts)

PREPARATION: In a 6 quart saucepan, bring 4 quarts of water to a
rapid boil. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Boil noodles for 3 to 5
minutes, stirring occasionally with chopsticks. Drain noodles in
a colander and rinse with cold water. Cut noodles in 6 inch
pieces. Mix the noodles with 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil and
set aside. Rinse the bean sprouts, then drain and dry well. In a
bowl, mix the sesame seed paste, soy sauce, and tea until well
blended. Add the red vinegar, chili oil, sesame seed oil and
sugar. Mince the ginger and garlic. Chop scallions. Add ginger,
garlic and scallions to previously mixed sauce ingredients;
combine well. When ready to serve, mix the bean sprouts, broccoli, and the
noodles with 2 wooden spoons. Stir the sauce again and pour it
over the noodles, tossing until the noodles and bean sprouts are
well coated. Serve immediately.

TIMING: All the preparations can be made early in the day or the
day before.
Do not mix the noodles, bean sprouts, and sauce until
immediately before serving.

SUBSTITUTIONS: For the sesame seed paste you can substitute
peanut butter, which is also flavorful.
For the fresh egg noodles you can substitute dried egg noodles
or any type of fresh pasta.

TIPS: If you do not want the spiciness, omit the 1/2 tablespoon
chili oil and increase the sesame seed oil in the sauce to 1
tablespoon.
One cup of leftover (cooked) shredded meat can be added along
with the bean sprouts, such as chicken, duck or pork.
Chili oil is available at all Chinese grocery stores. It is a
clear red oil (red from the chili peppers, which are removed),
and will keep in the refrigerator for one year.

Sesame seed paste is also available in Chinese grocery stores.
It is made from roasted sesame seeds and sesame seed oil. It
will keep in the refrigerator for one year.
The easiest way to cut noodles is to place them on a flat
surface, after you have cooked, drained and rinsed them, and cut
through them in 2 or 3 places with a cleaver. OC people can use scissors and a ruler.


Stitchawl

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

...
Sesame seed paste is also available in Chinese grocery stores.
It is made from roasted sesame seeds and sesame seed oil. It
will keep in the refrigerator for one year.
...

Is this tahini, or something different?

Ahh, it's okay. Wikipedia has set me right... similar but different:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahini

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Is this tahini, or something different?

Ahh, it's okay. Wikipedia has set me right... similar but different:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahini

You could use Tahini for this if you wanted. Just a slightly different item. I've made it using only Skippy Crunchy Peanut Butter and it still came out fine. The sesame oil made up for any flavor differences.


Stitchawl

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

You could use Tahini for this if you wanted. Just a slightly different item. I've made it using only Skippy Crunchy Peanut Butter and it still came out fine. The sesame oil made up for any flavor differences.


Stitchawl

Good. Tahini is easy. However...

Although we can get a lot of Asian items just from local supermarkets and fresh food markets, we though we were short a specialist grocer here. But in our recent bikerides we found one down near Tewantin, where a little, Indian take-out has opened out the back of its store as an "Asian Supermarket". We're yet to go there, but looking forward to the shopping. Apparently their stock is pretty broad in variety.

I use crunchy peanut butter in a laksa I make. It's not a "traditional" recipe (and it suggests I use smooth, but I like the crunchy), so its authenticity is... questionable, but it tastes quite nice. However, I plan on looking to a proper recipe as I have been enjoying mortar & pestling the different pastes.

(As an aside, one of my favourite mortar & pestle items is pesto. It seems to come out so much nicer texturally, in the mortar and pestle. Just a bit of pesto run through some freshly-cooked homemade pasta, with a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled over... a recently-discovered, simple meal that I love to make and eat...)

Cheers,
Marc

[Stitchawl]

One of the nicest things about traveling is that we get to taste so many new and different foods. I was lucky to be able to get the recipes for several dishes that we really enjoyed.

South Florida is fortunate to get great cuisines from the Caribbean and from Cuba, very different from each other and both wonderful! I'll put up two recipes that we found to be the highlights of our eating over this holiday season. (Above and beyond great hot dogs, pizza, and steaks, of course.)

Cuban Ropa Vieja
This is great shredded beef served on tortillas or over rice. Add sour cream, cheese, and fresh cilantro on the side.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef flank steak
1 cup beef broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
2. Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.

Easy as can be and really, really tasty!

Stitchawl